QRTH-PHYL

Normally I have *some* idea of what a game is from the title or the art that goes with it. Some games defy even that.

QRTH-PHYL is very firmly in that category. I'm still not sure what to call it.

Before we beginSo the Starry Night bundle came out with Indie Royale. I find Indie Royale has by far the most interesting, if not the 'technically best', games in its collection. And as such I pretty much always pick it up these days just for fresh blood to try out.

And so I saw this little number. I don't even know how to pronounce it, really, I assume it's 'kew-reth fill' but that's probably wrong.

Getting through the main menu doesn't really give me any better ideas, but I do realise something is very wrong with the controls, so after floundering about with that, I switch to gamepad and try again.

So, the help screens.

For those of you who can't really make sense of that lovely pixel font:

qrth-phyl continues the algorithmic, generative and metaphorical arcade game design ideas last seen in previous HermitGames release Leave Home.

Levels are adaptive according to performance per game. Adaptation rules are built across games and mutate each installation. Collect dots to score and grow tail, collect number of dots indicated screen bottom right to unlock level exit. Levels alternate between surface and internal. Progression is infinite until all lives lost.

Based on a prototype created in the deep south west of Cornwall circa 2004 qrth-phyl has been (re)developed for PC and XBLIG over the last two years. Built by one person with custom tools, self generating code and a modified AY-3-8912 audio chip. Thanks for downloading and playing.

You think that would make sense, right? A modified Snake clone... OK... I'm interested.

Playing the gameSo, a Snake game - you know the drill, move around the level, don't hit your tail, collect the dots. As you collect dots, your tail gets bigger making the challenge that much deeper. So far so normal.

The first thing to understand about this is how damnably evil this is. That's a plane in space, sure, and those red things seem to be lasers (don't collide, you will die) but you can go over the back of that plane and find the rest of the pills. Yup, that's right, you're not just dealing with an area in convenient 2D planar space but 3D space.

So you're just going around and collecting the pills, so far so good until you hit the limit and everything changes again.

As the help text warned, the levels alternate between surface and internal. So now it's Snake, in a 3D environment where the outer walls will kill you. And you have movement in all three axes.

And just for fun that column in the distance has pills on the far side of it. Just like the column in the near distance. Yes, the game is that evil.

Then just for fun once you hit the number you need, you can go on to the next level which is a surface level again. Only this time it's a cube with walls that appear and disappear.

I don't last very long but my spacial awareness in three dimensions kind of sucks, so that's why.

On that bombshellI think this game is a really interesting concept. I don't recall seeing Snake done in three dimensions before and the way you're dealing with it does sort of make it both strategic in a real time sense (because you do sort of have to plan ahead where you're going, lest your tail traps you in) and also a physical sense because the third dimension is in itself a challenge for you to play with.

Graphically it's pretty for a game of its kind; it's not stunningly beautiful but it's a strange kind of game in itself and graphical beauty would probably distract from the core gameplay elements.

The hardest part for me is getting my head around what you're doing and how you're doing it; the description didn't quite fit with the gameplay to start with (since the notion of a Snake game normally precludes doing it in three dimensions with the quirks this game has) and the control system felt a little strange to begin with; you're switching between it being for rotation (i.e. turning left/right on the surface) and more absolute movements (i.e. using it to change your current heading when you're internal) but it works well once you get used to it.

Would I suggest you play it? That's a tough one. If you didn't like Snake, you'll almost certainly hate this. If you did like Snake and like the notion of taking it to another level, literally, give it a shot.

The game's available on the developer's website for $5, though as I said I got it from the Indie Royale bundle which is good for another 9 days or so. It's listed on Desura but not active there yet and it's also on Steam Greenlight so no doubt it'll emerge in due course on both.

I'd suggest watching the trailer first and then seeing if it's for you, really. It's definitely unusual and if you like unusual, give it a whirl.